OMEP Program of Education for Sustainable Development
OMEP is actively working on education for sustainable development. Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson made this the main issue for OMEP during her time as World Chair 2008–2013. OMEP organized the first international meeting on sustainable development in early childhood education at our OMEP World Congress in Gothenburg in 2010. OMEP has been a driving force in the work to develop the UN's global goals for sustainability. Goal 4.2 is about good quality preschool for all children, and it is a result of OMEP's work.
Sustainability is recognized as multi-dimensional and comprises social-cultural, economic, environmental and political dimensions.
General Objective: To increase awareness about ESD among OMEP members, young children and the field of early childhood education, considering a child-oriented perspective through the development of research and the elaboration of educational action projects.
- Children’s understandings about sustainability and in promoting change;
- Preschool practices around the 7 Rs: respect, reflect, rethink, reuse, reduce, recycle,
redistribute; - Intergenerational dialogues for sustainability;
· ESD for Equity; - Pre/In-service training;
- More and larger projects are presented below in separate sections.
The OMEP ESD programme encompass several studies across 51 countries on 5 continents — Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas - involving approximately 550,000 hours dedicated to research projects. They are all open for continued use.
To celebrate the OMEP 75 anniversary and the 15 years of the OMEP World Projects for Sustainability OMEP produced this pamphlet on ESD in 2023.
OMEP Webinars on ESD
OMEP has a series of ESD Webinars bringing together researchers, educators, and policymakers from around the world to discuss progress,. The OMEP ESD Award winners present their projects. Together we share findings, and explore new directions for Education for Sustainable Development in early childhood.
These webinars are open to OMEP members and partners and are recorded for wider access.
"No hay banda al mundo"
Latin American Award for ESD
The "No hay banda al mundo" is the Latin American regional prize of OMEP, offered by the Latin American Committee of OMEP within the context of the global ESD World Prize.
The award recognises educators, teachers, and communities across Latin America who demonstrate outstanding contributions to early childhood education for sustainable development — fostering environmental empathy, community knowledge, and systemic educational improvement.
In 2016, a publication was released to provide perspectives for educators to collaborate toward sustainable development goals.
OMEP FIRST AWARD ON ESD
Resource Bank for Education for Sustainability
The Resource Book is an online database created in 2012, within the framework of the UNESCO-OMEP Global Action Programme on ESD. It provides research-based, policy-oriented, and practical information on Education for Sustainable Development.
The database serves early childhood learners, educators, parents, and children worldwide. It fosters a community of practice in early childhood settings and helps educators design lessons, games, and engaging activities.
It integrates knowledge from the early childhood scientific community to encourage sustainable practices in science, the environment, and children's everyday lives.
GO TO RESOURCE BANk